A previous thread I posted generated quite an interesting debate about the word Pride in Spanish. Is pride always a sin? I'd say no. There's the kind of pride you take in something that does not put anyone down. What's your take on it?

There are many ways that having pride (satisfaction, esteem, etc.) are a good thing.

For example:

"My son is my pride and joy." or "Take pride in your work and do a good job."

However, once a person has crossed the line from having a healthy dose of pride to becoming prideful, than it is wrong. People who are prideful and full of themselves make life miserable for all of us. They are either always boasting and bragging and they are never in the wrong.

Another example I can think of in English is when we say:

"Don't be too proud to accept our help."

The expression is "too proud". I think that points to a healthy dose for the right reasons is o.k. If you are too proud to accept appropriate help or so prideful that you annoy everyone you come in contact with, than of course, it is a bad thing.

You have raised a number of issues here. Is is a bad word? No, it is not vulgar, offensive, or obscene, neither in Spanish nor in English. Is it always a sin? I guess that depends on the definition, and the answer may be different regarding English and Spanish, depending on your definition.

The key to this question is what Jubilado asserts, that egotism and arrogance are to be distinguished from dignity and human worth. The problem though, at least in English, is that we use the word pride to refer to both ideas. I have wondered if the usage in Spanish mirrors that in English.

I have wrestled with this issue for a number of years, since a friend of mine discouraged my use of the words proud and pride. He said that they were never used in a positive light in the Bible, but always in a sinful one. And after several years I have only found one verse where the word proud could be considered a positive characteristic, but at the same time it could as easily be considered a negative one; it is not clear in English what is meant. However, the same verse in the Spanish Bible uses the word soberbia, making it clear that it is sinful. So, using a strictly Scriptural definition, I would have to say that "pride" is always sinful. But again, that must be distinguished from dignity and human worth, which could be equated to a believer knowing his position "in Christ" as a child of God.

As regards the Spanish Bible (Versión Reina-Valera, 1960), the word orgullo only appears five times, and orgulloso twice, all in the Old Testament, and all in a negative/sinful light, except for one that refers to the waves of the sea. What we see in the Spanish Bible where "pride" is used in the English are words like soberbia, altivez, arrogancia, and altanería, all of which are evil.

So, since I don't want to be associated with anything that God defines as being evil, I try to use other words that express more precisely what I mean. This has taken a little work. For example, it is hard not to tell our children we are "proud of" them or their work, since we are accustomed to that being a positive expression. We say instead that we are "pleased" with them, or that they make us "happy." "A wise son maketh a glad father ..." / "El hijo sabio alegra al padre ..." (Proverbs 10:1 & 15:20). "My son, be wise, and make my heart glad ... " / "Sé sabio, hijo mío, y alegra mi corazón ..." (Proverbs 27:11).

Nevertheless, we understand that not everyone uses these words with the same definitions (the Biblical ones) that we do, so we are careful not to judge, but consider rather what they are saying according to the commonly accepted definitions of these words.

In normal usage "orgullo" is definately not a "palabrota"
I don't think it very nice really to have someone think of (me) for example as being proud or arrogant.
As Bella said, pride in a job well done and the familiar usages are fine.
But "arrogant" well not so nice,but still not a bad word.
Now when it comes to religion and sin,well, we have a very different meaning.

Yes, according to RAE, soberbia seems to go beyond orgullo, but even this definition of orgullo ("exceso de estimación propia") would make it something sinful.

Again, the key to this whole discussion is how one defines the word. Do we accept the dictionary definition? If so, which dictionary? Do we go by common, accepted usage? Do we take a purely Biblical approach? In the Bible verses I cite below, we see that God considers the two to be similar. It's amazing to me how the Bible interprets Itself, and how by just studying out a subject in the Bible, we see how God defines it and what He thinks of it. It's also interesting to me how many of these synonyms appear in the RAE definitions.

Jeremiah 48:29-30:

"We have heard the pride of Moab, (he is exceeding proud) his loftiness, and his arrogancy, and his pride, and the haughtiness of his heart. I know his wrath, saith the LORD; but it shall not be so; his lies shall not so effect it."

I don't read anything in the Bible about "capital sins" or "seven capital sins," but certainly pride/soberbia evokes pretty strong reactions from God. There aren't many things or people that God "hates", but this is one of them. Consider these verses:

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